African Adventures
African Adventures is a UK-founded (2009) group volunteer travel company that organises trip packages to 50+ partner schools across The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, and Zanzibar for school, college, corporate, charity, and Scout/Guide groups of ten or more.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersEastleigh, Hampshire, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What African Adventures does
African Adventures Ltd. is a privately held UK travel company founded in 2009 by Dan Mew that organises group volunteer trips to under-resourced partner schools in The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, and Zanzibar. The company operates a direct-to-consumer model targeting schools (primary and secondary), colleges and universities, corporate organisations, charities/CCOs, and Scout and Guide groups, requiring a minimum of ten participants per booking. Its core technology stack comprises an interactive Trip Planner on the company website that delivers instant pricing based on destination, dates, and duration, alongside the My African Adventures customer portal that handles bookings, ATOL certificates, insurance documents, fundraising resources, and trip communications.
The business generates revenue primarily through comprehensive package trips priced at £1,845-£2,145 per person for an 8-day base programme (higher in peak season), which bundle return flights (ATOL-protected), in-country transport, accommodation, meals, project work at partner schools, cultural activities, and a dedicated Trip Host. Supplementary revenue comes from optional adventure-activity add-ons (safaris, river cruises, cultural tours) and donations routed through the African Adventures Foundation, which funds school infrastructure, WASH facilities, food security, and menstrual health programmes. In 2025 the company moved 1,873 volunteers and delivered 81,157 volunteer hours.
The company maintains a 50-plus partner school network across five programmes in four countries, supported by 28 in-country staff and an Eastleigh-registered UK headquarters team. Distribution is fully direct, leveraging the self-serve Trip Planner and a Regional Partnerships/Group Travel Coordinator sales motion that recruits through educational travel fairs, school presentations, and conferences. The company holds ATOL licence 10639, ABTA membership, School Travel Forum accreditation, Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge, and DofE Approved Activity Provider status, and won Global Youth Travel Awards for Best Education Provider and Best Volunteering Organisation in 2024.
African Adventures firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- African Adventures
- Legal name
- African Adventures Ltd.
- Website
- https://africanadventures.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- African Adventures is a UK-founded (2009) group volunteer travel company that organises trip packages to 50+ partner schools across The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, and Zanzibar for school, college, corporate, charity, and Scout/Guide groups of ten or more.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
African Adventures industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Educational Volunteer Travel
- NAICS
- Tour Operators (56152), Tour Operators (561520)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Service Learning, Volunteer & Community Engagement Trips (THAKAGAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- School Group & Curriculum-Led Trips (THAKAGAB), Adventure & Expedition Travel Agencies (THAKAFAB), Eco-Adventure Multi-Day Expeditions (Trekking, Hut-to-Hut, Pack Trips) (THAAAEAJ)
Keywords
Where African Adventures is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Eastleigh, Hampshire
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices7 records
Markets served
African Adventures business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Group Volunteer Trip Packages: African Adventures generates revenue through comprehensive package trips for groups (minimum 10 participants) that include return flights, ATOL protection, in-country transport, accommodation, meals, development work at partner schools, cultural activities, and dedicated trip hosts. Pricing varies by destination, duration, and time of year.
- Adventure Activities: Optional add-on adventure activities during weekends when partner schools are closed, including game reserves, cultural tours, river cruises, and wildlife experiences. These are charged as optional extras on top of the base trip cost.
- African Adventures Foundation Donations: Charitable donations and fundraising support through the African Adventures Foundation to fund school infrastructure projects, food security programmes, WASH facilities, and menstrual health initiatives.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | The Gambia - Base Package |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Ghana - Base Package |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Kenya - Base Package |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Zanzibar - Base Package |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
African Adventures product offering
Product offeringCore offering
African Adventures organizes life-changing group volunteer trips (minimum 10 participants) to over 50 partner schools across The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, and Zanzibar for schools, colleges, corporate teams, charities, and scout/guide groups. Each all-inclusive package combines return flights, ATOL financial protection, in-country transport, accommodation, meals, and dedicated trip hosts with structured development work such as teaching, classroom construction, sports coaching, and curriculum support at partner schools, supplemented by weekend cultural activities and adventure excursions.
Product overview
African Adventures is a travel company that organizes life-changing group volunteer trips to Africa for schools, colleges, corporate groups, charities, and scout organisations. The core offering is the Group Volunteer Trips programme, supported by the Trip Planner online booking tool and My African Adventure customer portal. The company partners with over 50 schools across four countries (The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, and Zanzibar) and delivers charitable programmes through the African Adventures Foundation, including The Good Period menstrual health initiative, WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) programme, and Food Security programme. Optional Adventure Activities such as game reserve safaris and cultural tours complement the core volunteer experience.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Group Volunteer Trips to Africa All-inclusive international volunteer travel packages (minimum 10 participants) for schools, colleges, corporate teams, charities, and scout/guide groups to The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, and Zanzibar. Each package bundles return flights, ATOL-protected bookings, in-country transport, accommodation, meals, a dedicated Trip Host with 24/7 support, and structured development work at over 50 partner schools covering teaching, classroom construction, sports coaching, and curriculum support. Pricing varies by destination, duration, season, and year of departure.
Quantifiable outcome
- 17 years of operational experience with over 10,931 volunteers and 18,000+ lives impacted
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use African Adventures
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
African Adventures technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
African Adventures partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- The Gambia Ministry of EducationcoreFormal partnership established with MoU signed to support Gambian Ministry of Education strategy for young Gambians. Framework established for African Adventures' work in The Gambia across six new partner schools in Greater Banjul region.
- African Adventures FoundationcoreThe charity partner of African Adventures that funds and delivers community-led development projects including food security programmes, WASH facilities, menstrual health management (The Good Period), and school infrastructure. Works alongside volunteer programmes to maximize community impact.
- Futurestars CharityminorPartnership through which volunteers support Future Leaders School in Ghana with refurbishment works including washing walls, floors, desks, painting, and refreshing learning spaces.
- OKB Hope FoundationminorPartnership with Imhotep Charter High School STEM programme to tackle health equity and water insecurity in Ghana's Volta region. OKB medical team addressed urgent healthcare while STEM volunteers deployed water filtration systems.
- Pharos ResponsecoreCrisis management partner providing access to integrated specialist services and experienced crisis management professionals 24/7. Provides incident support system for trips to protect volunteer wellbeing.
- Stripe Payments UK LtdcorePayment services provider handling financial transactions relating to the website and services. Processes payments, refunds, and handles complaints and queries relating to payment transactions.
- UK Professional Footballers' AssociationminorDelivered coaching sessions and youth engagement activities at Future Leaders School in Ghana during Easter Programme 2026, adding value to volunteer programme through sports expertise.
Scale indicators13 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights4 records
African Adventures competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Projects Abroad: International volunteer travel company offering structured group and individual placements including teaching and community projects in Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, and other African destinations.
- IVHQ (International Volunteer HQ): Large-scale international volunteer travel provider with programmes in Ghana, Kenya, and Tanzania, competing on affordability and project breadth for group and individual volunteers.
- Raleigh International: Charitable expedition provider running youth volunteer programmes including in Tanzania and Kenya with a community-development focus and group-travel structure similar to African Adventures.
- African Impact: Africa-focused volunteer travel company running community and conservation projects in Zambia, Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa, competing directly for the school and group volunteer segment.
- Lattitude Global Volunteering: UK-based charity operating structured volunteer programmes for young people, including teaching placements in Africa with similar school and youth group customer base.
- Camps International: Operates group volunteer expeditions to Africa and other developing regions for schools, colleges, and corporate teams with a similar model combining community projects, cultural activities, and travel packages.
- World Challenge: UK-based educational travel provider running school group expeditions with community projects, trekking, and cultural components across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
- GVI (Global Vision International): Volunteer and education travel operator offering group expeditions in Africa (Kenya, Ghana, Zanzibar) including community, teaching, and conservation projects with similar accreditation stack.
Emerging players
- Plan My Gap Year: Affordable volunteer programme provider offering school, college, and group trips in Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, and The Gambia, competing on price with AA's lower end of the spectrum.
- Frontier (Frontier Safari & Travel): Volunteer travel and safari operator with a growing presence in East Africa; offers community, teaching, and conservation placements relevant to the same target customer profile.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
African Adventures social profiles
Digital presenceAfrican Adventures compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
African Adventures financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
African Adventures leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
African Adventures funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
African Adventures M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about African Adventures
What does African Adventures do?
African Adventures organizes life-changing group volunteer trips (minimum 10 participants) to over 50 partner schools across The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, and Zanzibar for schools, colleges, corporate teams, charities, and scout/guide groups. Each all-inclusive package combines return flights, ATOL financial protection, in-country transport, accommodation, meals, and dedicated trip hosts with structured development work such as teaching, classroom construction, sports coaching, and curriculum support at partner schools, supplemented by weekend cultural activities and adventure excursions.
Is African Adventures a public or private company?
African Adventures is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was African Adventures founded?
African Adventures was founded in 2009. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is African Adventures based?
African Adventures is headquartered in Eastleigh, Hampshire, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does African Adventures make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Group Volunteer Trip Packages are the primary driver. The others are adventure Activities and african Adventures Foundation Donations.
Who are African Adventures's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Projects Abroad, IVHQ (International Volunteer HQ), Raleigh International, African Impact, Lattitude Global Volunteering, Camps International, World Challenge and GVI (Global Vision International). Emerging players are Plan My Gap Year and Frontier (Frontier Safari & Travel).
Does African Adventures have an API?
No public API is recorded for African Adventures.
What industry is African Adventures in?
African Adventures's product category is Educational Volunteer Travel. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAKAGAF, Service Learning, Volunteer & Community Engagement Trips, with a secondary code of THAKAGAB, School Group & Curriculum-Led Trips. Its NAICS code is 56152 and its SIC code is 7900.